Taiwan shuts down as Typhoon Champi approaches

TAIPEI
Most shops and schools were shut across Taiwan on Friday as Typhoon Champi neared the island, forcing hundreds of people to leave their homes ahead of the powerful storm. The typhoon is expected to sweep past Taiwan’s northeast as it moves toward China and Japan, triggering the cancelation of hundreds of flights in the region.
At least one person has been killed in Taiwan after being swept away by waves whipped up by the typhoon, authorities said. More than 160 others have been injured. Champi is the latest in a busy Pacific storm season turbocharged by the El Nino weather phenomenon that has caused unprecedented warming in the equatorial Pacific.
The storm was briefly a super typhoon as it crossed the ocean, with reported maximum sustained wind speeds of nearly 300 kilometers (186 miles) per hour, but has since weakened. It gathered strength as it neared Taiwan on Friday afternoon and now has maximum speeds of 194 kph (120 miles per hour), according to the latest update from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center.
Heavy rain, strong winds and giant waves have battered the island, and thousands of military personnel are on standby to assist with rescue efforts. More than 2,600 people have fled their homes ahead of Champi. Authorities were racing to restore power to thousands of households, mostly in coastal areas.
“As it approaches Taiwan’s northeastern tip… the typhoon may slow down. If it slows down, its impact will last longer,” the Central Weather Administration’s Lu Kuo-chen told a briefing. Stores were closed on Japan’s southwestern island of Ishigaki, near Taiwan, and business owners draped windproof nets over their shops in an attempt to protect them from the strong winds.
Some tourists were also stranded due to flight cancelations, with many sheltering inside hotels. “Lot of shops and restaurants were still open yesterday, and I could stock up on food, but there’s not much information online about the typhoon and what to do,” said Laura Czypulovski, 33, who lives in Zurich. “It is now a pain to get back home — especially because it impacts my following flights, and then it caused a lot of rebooking.”
Yuki Koike, who lives in Tokyo, said his flight had also been canceled but was trying to make the best out of the situation. “We knew we could have a typhoon, but we thought it will reach a bit earlier so that we could avoid it,” said the 31-year-old.
But “we use the time stuck here to work and to plan our wedding in December.” Professional storm-chaser James Reynolds posted a video on X from Ishigaki showing a “fierce storm tide” in a channel leading to the island’s harbor as Champi’s strong winds whipped across the water.